Saturday, June 7, 2014

Okay, I can see how some critics didn't like it- the story is not told with much tension, you can't take a kid under 9 or 10 to see it because it is intensely scary at times, and it relies 99% on the skill and charm of the "am I evil or am I not" performance of Angelina Jolie. BUT boy oh boy- Angelina Jolie is amazing. I have seldom thought of her as a serious actress- she seems to take the same kind of approach to everything she does. But here, she uses her voice (in several varying accents but who cares) so beautifully to express sorrow and anger and kindness. I was a tad annoyed at the overwhelmingly saccharine performance of Elle Fanning as Aurora. That was the director's fault. Restatement alert: I would not ever bring a small kid to this. If anything, this needed a better editor since it drags in spots. But for me, it is the best thing Jolie has ever done. There is one problem- she used her own child to play the very young Aurora. Knowing that, it takes the audience totally out of the moment while they stare at Vivienne Jolie-Pitt. Jolie claims it was because she might scare a child who didn't know her. Well, whatever Angelina. The fairy world is lovely. So, do what you wish on this one. I can't give it more than 2 stars because a movie should be more than its megastar.

A talented but frustrated chef (Jon Favreau) quits his job and winds up getting a food truck that he drives back to LA, serving food all the way. In the process, he gets to know his son and reclaim his enthusiasm. In one of the most unlikely pairings, his ex-wife is played by Sofia Vergara. His son, played by Emjay Anthony, is a charming kid who really does a great job of interacting with all the adults. It is a tremendously likeable movie. The food is fantastic and the New Orleans bit really made me homesick. It should have definitely been promoted more. I'm not sure why it wasn't. Go see it.